Coal In Northland

Northern Advocate, 23 January 1947, Page 4

Coal In Northland

The mining of coal was a pioneer industry in Northland, which has obtained large revenue from its ‘'black diamonds.’" Comparatively recent years marked a slowing down of coal recovery, but operations at Kamo, a prominent mining centre in the early days, have proved that resources of coal remain in (lie territory. A number of small, privatelyowned mines have produced considerable quantities of coal, but isolation and restricted equipment have prevented the exploitation of other deposits believed to exist in several districts.

It is gratifying, therefore, to hear that the question of boring in order to test claims that considerable quan-

lilies of coal exist in fhe vicinity of Hikurangi have been raised with the Under-Secretory of Mines. Hikurangi, of course, figured for many years as a prominent mining centre in the Dominion, but though exhaustion of coal deposits has been declared to be imminent, there is a considerable body of opinion that the district possesses valuable deposits so far untouched.

This can only be proved by boring, and it will consequently be hoped that the Mines Department will interest itself in this matter as soon ns it conveniently can do so. It is also desirable that all Northland localities likely to possess coal in useful quantities should be similarly explored.